Lines of mourners gathered to pay respects to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last year at the age of 88. He will be cremated on Thursday after 5 days of funeral rites.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was the world's longest-reigning living monarch when he died last year at the age of 88, will be cremated in an elaborate ceremony in Bangkok today.
On Wednesday, China unveiled its new leadership lineup for the next five years. "Evidently part of the new era is to leave open the question of successors," says political scientist Brantly Womack.
China's most powerful leader in years began a second term today, renewing the Chinese communist party's ambition to lead the nation to wealth, power and modernity by mid-century. But when Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled the party's new leadership lineup this morning, one person was missing: a potential successor to Xi.
Soon after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived, Manila announced the end of an ISIS-inspired insurgency in Marawi. But there was no mention of significant U.S. support in the months-long operation.
The physicist had just won the 1921 Nobel Prize when he scribbled his theory of happy living on a piece of hotel stationery and handed it to the courier at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Normally at this stage in a Chinese president's tenure, a successor would be obvious. But not for President Xi Jinping. That has led to speculation he might want to hold on to power past 2022.
The revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October 2016, with his remains lying in state at the royal palace in Bangkok. The ceremony will conclude a year of mourning for the Thai people.